You have a couple key mechanics at your disposal: roll which makes you invulnerable, the ability to slow down time significantly for a short period and your usual array of 2D melee combat mechanics.

Mechanically Katana ZERO is a kind of beat em up puzzler as every level is about planning out your moves, figuring out what triggers what and how to overcome seemingly impossible scenarios. Overall I’m very impressed with Katana ZERO’s level of craftsmanship. On top of this Katana Zero has a great original sound track, one that’s available in ogg format in the game’s base directory should you happen to want it. The frame rate was also consistently high, something that I’ve definitely not seen done a lot with other GameMaker based titles. This is made all the more impressive that it’s created in GameMaker, something which has a reputation much like Unity for having a certain kind of aesthetic for all titles built with it. Katana ZERO has some of the best pixel art I’ve seen in recent times, seamlessly mixing in modern elements that give it a really nice visual flair. Although that can’t be right, time always flows forward right? Still though something feels off, time seems to flow strangely every so often, the past, present and future mixing together until they all coalesce back together.

So you keep doing his bidding, taking out targets that he gives to you after each session. Your therapist is helping you though and thankfully the dose of the drugs he gives you is going down. However you know nothing of your past, save for the fact that you were involved in a great war some time ago and you’re haunted by nightmares from your childhood. This allows you to look into the future and plan out your moves, ensuring that no target is outside your reach. You are a samurai assassin, blessed with the gift of precognition.

Katana zero length